Graphic Novelist Paul Hornschemeier Draws His Influences

Over the past few years, the Evanston artist has been drawing his cultural influences. He turned his doodles into Artists Authors Thinkers Directors, a book of 100 stylistically diverse portraits (Fantagraphics, $20), due out this month. Here’s what he says about three of them.

David Byrne, musician

“He’s difficult to draw: The better-looking and more symmetrical you are, the harder you are for me to draw.”

Photography: Charlie Deets

Richard Scarry, cartoonist

“I feel like he manages to do such an amazing job of creating the Richard Scarry World. You have to wonder what he looked like.”

Billy Wilder, screenwriter

“He always felt like this dad-like figure. I juxtaposed him with a depressing color palette [because] it felt more like him and the totality of his work.” This article appears in the December 2013 issue of Chicago magazine. Subscribe to Chicago magazine.